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PHOENIX – Trevor Bauer’s attempt to return to the Major Leagues led him back to Camelback Ranch. The former Dodgers right-hander had once been a free agent. But he was released by the franchise nearly 14 months ago after serving the longest suspension in baseball history under the joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy.
Now pitching for a day for a Japanese tryout team called Asian Breeze, Bauer faced a group of Dodgers minor leaguers Sunday on one of the complex’s back fields before continuing his public campaign to find a job. . After pitching in front of a crowd of about a hundred people along with some of his employees, Bauer said he “should have the opportunity to sign with a major league team.”
There didn’t appear to be any major league scouts present.
“I think it was obvious he was still elite,” said Bauer, who said he hit 99 mph and touted a splitter he acquired last season while pitching in Japan.
Bauer allowed one heavy contact, but struck out four in his three innings, drawing a crowd from a group wearing Bauer uniforms that have largely disappeared from Dodger Stadium since he last pitched for the club. The group followed him from outfield to outfield, watching his bullpen and participating as Bauer asked for recommendations on what pitch to throw at the end of the outing.
“I just wanted to go out and have fun playing baseball,” Bauer said when asked what prompted his display. “That’s it. I don’t think anyone doubts that I’m still really good.”
While his teammates for the day may have been unknowns, the lineup he faced included players from the Dodgers’ 40-man roster in Andy Pages, Hunter Feduccia and Diego Cartaya along with notable names like Jake Gelof (all-around selection). club’s second round in 2023).
In proclaiming his desire to pitch again, Bauer said he had no plan or idea of what the future held.
“I didn’t think I was going to hit 99 today. She really had no adrenaline. “I was just joking and having a good time,” the pitcher said. “It wasn’t super competitive. …But now he throws harder than when he pitched in the big leagues.”
Bauer, who remains unsigned after pitching last season with Japan’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars, has not pitched in the major leagues since June 2021, when a San Diego woman accused him of sexual assault.
The allegations arose from a pair of encounters that began as consensual and, the woman said, turned violent. Two other women alleged similar interactions with Bauer in the past, as first reported by the Washington Post. The Los Angeles district attorney’s office declined to file charges against Bauer, and the now 33-year-old man denied any wrongdoing.
Bauer appealed his subsequent suspension from the sport, reducing it from 324 games to 196, still the longest imposed by the league since it implemented its joint domestic violence policy in 2015. He returned to competitive action last summer and this winter he has made public his search for another suspension. opportunity, saying he will accept the major league minimum of $740,000. Meanwhile, he said he accepted the opportunity to pitch with the tryout club, which he has played against Dodgers minor leaguers in previous years. Bauer claimed his matchup against the Dodgers was a coincidence: He was originally asked to pitch against Diamondbacks minor leaguers on March 9, but the game was canceled, he said.
His next outing, Bauer said, will be a series of live at-bats in his gym against one of his fellow content creators.
“I’ll probably throw live at-bats to Eric in about four days,” he said, alluding to his collaborator, Eric Sim, “and make a YouTube video out of it.”
(Photo by Trevor Bauer from May 3, 2023: Kyodo News via Associated Press)